NEW DELHI, April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A high-level task force on pharmaceutical manufacturing recommended the adoption of unique code verification technology and mobile SMS authentication for all domestic medicines produced in India. The task force, assembled by the Union Health Ministry last year, undertook research on available track and trace technologies as part of an ongoing effort by the government to curb drug counterfeiting.
The task force recommended this particular solution for track and trace is based on its viability and affordability for implementing across the Indian pharmaceutical market. It also suggested the technology be implemented in several phases.
Nathan Sigworth, CEO of PharmaSecure, the largest provider of this type of SMS mobile authentication technology in India, said, "The Union Health Ministry Task Force's recommendation of unique ID codes and mobile authentication is a great step in the fight against counterfeit medicines. The technology allows companies to protect their brands and for consumers to ensure that the medicine consumers are taking are real, not counterfeit."
The task force recommendation is now in the hands of the Indian government who will make a decision on whether or not to require this track and trace technology as an addendum to the Drug and Cosmetics Act.
In 2011, India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade put in place a requirement that all Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers print unique barcodes on primary medicine packages by January 2013. Sigworth said, "There has already been great interest in PharmaSecure's technology. Over the last three years we have worked with leading companies in India to roll out our SMS authentication service on over 100 million drug packages for the domestic market."
PharmaSecure is a software and technology company working to improve global public health using mobile phone technology. Its mission is to help pharmaceutical companies protect their drugs against counterfeiters and to connect consumers with safe medicines and enhanced healthcare. Founded in 2007, PharmaSecure is a growing company offering services in the United States, Europe, India, Africa and Southeast Asia. www.pharmasecure.com.
SOURCE PharmaSecure